Subjective accelerated aging moderates the association between COVID-19 health worries and peritraumatic distress among older adults

Abstract

BackgroundThe present study examined whether subjective accelerated aging moderated the relationship between COVID-19 health worries and COVID-19 peritraumatic distress among older adults. MethodThe sample consisted of 277 older adults (M=69.58, SD=6.73, range 60-92) who answered an online questionnaire during the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in Israel. Participants completed measures of background characteristics, exposure to COVID-19, COVID-19 health worries, subjective accelerated aging and COVID-19 based peritraumatic distress. ResultsHigher levels of COVID-19 health worries were correlated with higher levels of peritraumatic distress symptoms among older adults. Moreover, those reporting accelerated aging also reported higher level of peritraumatic distress. Finally, the interaction between COVID-19 health worries and subjective accelerated aging predicted peritraumatic distress, suggesting that COVID-19 worries were associated with peritraumatic distress to a stronger degree among older adults who felt they were aging faster. ConclusionsThe findings indicate that negative views of aging may serve as an amplifying factor for traumatic distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although preliminary, the findings provide

COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress and Loneliness in Chinese Residents in North America: The Role of Contraction Worry

“…The results were consistent with previous findings of a positive association between worry and COVID-19 peritraumatic distress [9][10][11]. In the current study, we have extended these results to Chinese residents in North America.…”

“…Peritraumatic distress has been associated with different risk factors during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as poor health, increased media use [11,31], increased levels of health worry [9], and increased levels of worry about the COVID-19 pandemic [10]. In a study conducted in South Korea, the perception of risk and fear of COVID-19 was associated with elevated levels of peritraumatic distress, negative emotions, and life threat [11].…”

“…Previous research has reported an increase in depression and anxiety symptoms, as well as worry and stress during the pandemic [6][7][8]. Past research found that worry was positively associated with peritraumatic distress in populations in Israel [9], France [10], and South Korea [11], and worry was positively associated with loneliness in Norway [12] and the United States [13]. However, to our knowledge, little is known about whether and how worry is related to COVID-19 peritraumatic distress and loneliness among Chinese residents in North America, an especially vulnerable population considering the rising anti-Asian racism and discrimination during the pandemic [14,15].…”

The experience of aging before one's time during the coronavirus pandemic among war veterans in Israel

“…We contend that assessing the inner experience of the pace of aging – whether it has been subjectively accelerated, leading one to feel as though they have aged rapidly in a certain span of time – is important in itself. Thus, one of the reactions older people might experience in the face of the pandemic is the sense that one has “aged before one's time”, whether due to social isolation, stress, or aging-related cues that have arisen surrounding susceptibility to COVID-19 for older adults ( Greenblatt-Kimron et al, 2021 ; Palgi, 2020 ). In the present study, we examine this notion with regards to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and attempt to assess whether individuals who have been exposed to trauma in the past and have had continuous PTSS experience the sense of aging more rapidly due to the continuous stress of the pandemic.…”

Peritraumatic distress across the lifespan: Clinical implications of age differences during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…To date, a handful of studies suggest that people anxious about or at risk of contracting the virus (Yoon et al., 2021 ), healthcare professionals (Blekas et al., 2020 ), child welfare workers (Miller et al., 2020 ), women (Antičević et al., 2021 ), and individuals with poorer coping strategies (Levaot et al., 2022 ) experience higher levels of peritraumatic distress, as measured with the PDI, during the pandemic. Moreover, among older adults (60–92 years old), higher levels of COVID‐19 health worries were correlated with higher levels of peritraumatic distress symptoms (Greenblatt‐Kimron et al., 2021 ). However, none of such studies crossed their finding with age across the lifespan leaving this question open.…”